High school football: Mentor's wild ride in playoffs ends

MANSFIELD -- The Mentor football team took its fans on a roller coaster of emotion the past two weeks, staging a 21-point rally and winning a high-scoring triple-overtime thriller.

On Saturday, Toledo Whitmer's defense saw to it that no dramatic comeback would take place.

Missed opportunities and uncharacteristic mistakes cost Mentor in a 62-34 loss to Whitmer in a Division I state semifinal at Arlin Field.

The Cardinals (12-2) turned the ball over three times -- all leading to Panthers touchdowns -- and couldn't get the stops it needed to keep up.

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After monumental wins over St. Edward and St. Ignatius in their previous two playoff games, the Cardinals' season ended one game shy of the state final.

Whitmer (14-0) will play Cincinnati Moeller for the state title Dec. 1 in Canton.

"They had chances, but we left too many points out there tonight," Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno said. "They battled their tails off and worked hard all year long. (Whitmer) had a cakewalk through their region, and we had to battle a little harder. I don't think they had much left in the tank."

Mentor quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a major candidate for the Associated Press Mr. Football Award, fumbled near the goal line in the first half and threw two interceptions in the second.

Trailing, 34-20, in the third quarter, the Cardinals weren't anywhere they hadn't already been during this playoff run. Mentor trailed St. Ed, 42-28, before a comeback for the ages gave the Cardinals a 63-56 victory.

"We were down by 21, but knew we had been in that situation before," Trubisky said. "How many times does a team come back from that? It only happens so many times. We never gave up for one second, and that's all you can ask for."

Whitmer was able to get decent pressure with its front four. Defensive ends Jacob LaPoint and Al Bryant, along with tackles Marquis Moore and JoeNathan Mays, allowed the Panthers to commit more defenders to covering the Cardinals' deep corps of receivers.

Trubisky was able to break out of the pocket, running for 121 yards and two touchdowns. The senior was 27 of 38, throwing for three touchdowns.

"I threw two interceptions," Trubisky said. "One was tipped, and the other floated on me. That stuff happens. They took advantage, and you have to give them credit."

In a game in which offense was expected to be the main story, it was a defensive play that sparked the Panthers in the first half.

With Mentor driving to take the lead just before halftime, Trubisky fumbled an exchange to his running back, and the ball landed right into LaPoint's hands. LaPoint ran all the way back for a touchdown, but it was taken away by a personal foul during the return.

Whitmer still took advantage, scoring on a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Holley to his twin brother Nathan. Instead of a possible halftime lead for the Cardinals, the swing gave the Panthers a 20-7 advantage.

"We had several opportunities (to score) in the first half, but we didn't come up with what we needed to come up with," Trivisonno said. "That hurts. You've got to take advantage in these games."

Mentor came back to tie the game at 20 early in the second half, but a Trubisky interception and a three-and-out earned by the Whitmer defense put the Cardinals behind the eight ball. The Panthers went on a 42-14 run to end the game, scoring on all six of their second-half possessions.

Nick Holley moved the ball efficiently on the ground, running for 249 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He was 7-for-11 throwing for 150 yards and two scores.

Conner Krizancic was Mentor's leading receiver with eight grabs, 159 yards and two touchdowns.

Mentor scored 120 points in its previous two playoff wins, but Whitmer gave up just 117 points in its previous 13 games.

Something had to give.

"I don't think anyone's played teams like the ones we did to get here," Trubisky said. "The type of games we went through, all the way to triple overtime, and the caliber of teams we played, I can't ask for a greater season."